Grilled Salmon with Mango Salsa

                 

This recipe is PERFECT for the summer! No cooking inside required! It's already hot enough in the summer,  I don't like to turn on the oven or make a big mess over making a meal.  This requires just firing up the grill and a lil knife work.  Not to mention how light and refreshing this is.... this won't leave you feeling sluggish or heavy.

Fire up the grill.  Prep the salsa first, it will need some time to chill in the fridge.

Mango Salsa//

1 Mango; peeled, seeded and chopped

1 Red Bell pepper chopped

1/2 large Red Onion

2 tablespoons Cilantro chopped

1 Jalapeno chopped 

2 tablespoons Lime juice

1 tablespoon Lemon juice

salt to taste

In a bowl, mix mango, red bell pepper, red onion, cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice, and lemon juice.  Lastly add salt to taste. Cover, and chill in the fridge at least 30 minutes before serving.

Salmon//

2 salmon fillets {buy wild caught for flavor}

2 tablespoons Coconut oil

2 tablespoons Lemon juice 

Salt & Pepper to taste

 Drizzle coconut oil on fillets, front and back.  Add salt and pepper to taste and drizzle lemon juice.  When the grill is hot and ready cook the salmon.  Put them down skinless side first. The salmon will release itself from the grill when it's ready to flip. It will not be long,

It cooks pretty quickly.

Plate salmon first, then add salsa on top!  Super easy, flavorful, and a great summer dinner!

Summer Time Fun

Summer is well underway here in Okinawa!  We decided to make a list of fun stuff we wanted to do in the next 2 months.  Summer days can get long here and the intense heat can make them longer. Making this list with the kids keeps us from sitting on the couch all day and gets us doing fun activities. These are all really easy to do and don't cost a lot.  A lot of these remind me of my summers as a child.  Now I'm making the same memories with my kids!  Hoping to check these all off by the time school starts in late August!  

Schools out for the Summer!

I cannot believe the school year is over!  It really feels like I was JUST school shopping for the new year.  This year was the first year both of the kiddos were in school. Amelia in kindergarten and Nolan in preschool.  

::Amelia::

Amelia had an end of year performance celebrating what they learned in kindergarten and being ready for first grade.  It was super cute! Each class had a song and in the end all classes sang "first grade" to the tune of New York, New York.  Amelia also received an award for most bubbly,  of course my daughter has a bubbly personality!I have to admit,  I cried!  I'm seriously so emotional when it comes to the kids.  I just can't believe how much she has grown and learned in just the first year of kindergarten.  My girl is doing math and reading! In my day of school I don't remember doing that stuff in Kindergarten,  I remember colors and numbers!  Kids these days are so smart and learning so fast.  

::Nolan::

Nolan started preschool this year.  He was in the toddlers class {2-3 year olds} going in on MWF.  The end of year performance was for the whole school.  It was also the graduation for the adventures class {4-5 year olds} moving on to kindergarten.  Nolan's class is pretty young so they just did one dance and got awards.  I was really proud of Nolan!  He kept dancing and didn't cry.  A lot better from his Christmas performance! Lol He also got most improved award.  So awesome because I've seen so much improvement from him.  At the beginning of the year he was shy and quiet and now he is talkative and has lots of friends.  I was worried about putting him in preschool so young, but it's helped his speech and confidence so much that I know it was the right choice. 

They have grown so much! My babies aren't babies anymore!  Just looking at these pictures and writing this post makes me tear up.  

On a happy note, summer is here in full swing!!! We are slowly but surely working on our summer bucket list!  Much more fun to come!

Malasada Doughnuts

I have a MAJOR sweet tooth! I've said it before and I'll say it again,  I would totally eat sweets 3 times a day for my meals.  Buuuuut diabetes runs in my family and I have to set and example for my kids.  Hahaha

The first time I had malasada doughnuts was while I was on vacation in Hawaii at Leonard's .  They were amazing!! After my first one I went back almost everyday after.  Unfortunately I haven't been back to Hawaii since 2004!  

Fast forward to 2013 when we moved to our new neighborhood {Yomitan},  I was driving down the main road and I saw a yellow signed that said malasada Doughnuts....I had to to try them!  They were as deliscious as I remember and right down the street!  When I first discovered them I went weekly!! It was bad.  My all time fave is the beni imo flavor.  Nolan and I love it! Amelia prefers the cinnamon sugar ones and Morgan usually eats whatever is left.  They have the core menu but they usually have specials with different flavors and toppings.  I love trying all the new ones, its a must when I go. Lol Now I've toned it down and get them maybe once every two months.  Its really hard since I drive by almost everyday!  

Directions// 

Go N on the 58

Turn Left onto the 6
It will be on your Left hand side, has yellow banners flying when open and almost directly across the street is a Hotto Motto

Yen only

Tipsy Painting Girls Night In

My dear friend Melliza turned 28 and for her birthday she wanted to have a tipsy painting party. Im the only one who has been to a party like this , Lol so I took it upon myself to make this party happen.   There are people and companies that do party set ups for these kind of parties,  but with the short notice and cost I thought I could do it myself. 

This was my set up!  Got everyone a canvas, brush set, and an apron.  I had Melliza to choose a painting, she choose a sunset reminiscent of an Okinawan sunset.  Something we can all have as a keepsake.  Almost all the items were found at Daiso!  Daiso even carried paint,  but I wasn't too sure how the quality would be so I ended up ordering from Amazon.  I got a couple packs of the Basics paint in the primary colors.  It was more then enough.  

We definitely had a good time!  It was a nice change from just going out for dinner and drinks!  I've never seen any of my friends' artistic sides so it was fun.  Some of us were more artistically inclined then others.  All in all it was lots of fun and memories for a lifetime.  I'm so glad that I took on this party.  Melliza was so happy and I know she enjoyed her birthday.  It was super simple and didn't break the bank!  I may even use the idea when Amelia's birthday rolls around!

My finished product.  I'm definitely not going to quit my day job! Lol

Hale Noa Cafe

Went to the Hale Noa cafe for breakfast!  It's a Hawaiian inspired cafe, located in Chatan.  It's hours are from 8am to 4 pm

They accept card & yen

This lil cafe is so cute!  The decor is shabby chic beach cottage.  It's a small cafe only have about 7 tables.  They offer breakfast items and island favorites!! 

I wanted a classic breakfast of sweet and savory.  I got the #2 breakfast:: pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage and your choice of coffe or tea, hot or cold.  It was delish and only 950¥!  I saw they had a poke platter,  I'm going to have to come back and try it!

Read Across America

In most schools across America, March is read across America month.  Celebrating reading and the almighty Dr. Seuss. Just because we live overseas doesn't mean we can't participate. haha We'll Amelia goes to a DODEA school so lots of stuff is just like being in the states. Unfortunately Amelia wont get to participate with most the activities since we'll be on vacay for half the month.  But, we're gunna make the most out of the time we are here.

M is already on leave so we decided to volunteer at Amelia's class to decorate their door for the Read Across America door contest.  So happy that he came with me because we were the only parents that volunteered.  Plus Amelia was so excited to see us in her class and her teacher was super grateful!  We were more then happy to help!

 M and I were able to tackle most of the door ourselves.  We picked Dr. Seuss' Oh, the places you'll go as our theme.  I LOVE this book.  Its' been a favorite of mine ever since I was a lil girl.  I was more then happy with this theme.  It was a fun task to do together for our lil sweet pea and her class.  Her teacher was so stoked, she just wants to personalize it with a lil something for the kids.  I can't wait to see the finished product!  Fun times

Got my badge!  The bathrooms are so small and cute!

Couples that volunteer together, stay together!

LOVE it, turned out soo good!

Keep calm, it's my Birthday!

                  

    

                       

      

                                

I turned 31 over the weekend.  Where does the time go?!  This year I opened for a low key bday.  After Christmas and New Years I was a little burnt out.  

Saturday, on my birthday we went to my fave restaurant Thai in the sky!  It was a gorgeous day and the views there were amazing.  The food, as always, was delish.  I even ventured out of my comfort zone and ordered food that I usually don't.  It was a tad bit too spicy , but it was yummy.  I had to eat in small bites and drink water constantly. Hahaha after lunch we went to the Ashibina shopping center to look for my birthday gift.  M, mentions constantly that I'm a hard person to shop for, so he just let me pick out my own gift.  It was a total mad house there.  The parking lot was so full that we had to park at an adjacent lot and be shuttled to the shopping center.  The few days after New Years is equivalent to the day after Thanksgiving shopping.  There were sales all over the place and stores offer lucky bags.  You buy the bag and you can't look what's inside, it's a blind bag so to speak.  These are pretty fun and lots of the time the customers are pretty happy with what they got.  They sell them until they sell out.  Unfortunately the stores I went do did not have any.  We did go 3 days after new year, it's best to go on New Year's Day.  So I'll remember that next year. For my bday gift I found these Tory Burch flats that I've been trying to order online but they didn't have my size.  So I left a happy girl!  After shopping we headed to a goodbye dinner for a friend that is PCSing.  My friends got me a birthday cake!  It was a good day!

Side Gigs

Being a SAHM, its important to have your own thing.  I practically work at home all day every day, 24-7.  There needs to be some away time to recharge your batteries, get your mind away off the chores, the babies, the bills, the house.   Morgan is always encouraging me to get into something , go out with the girls, go to the gym, go shopping, go do something.  He totally understands!  He likes to go to the gym and play basketball.  He goes to the gym weekly and is in a basketball league.  So I did it, my friend and I signed up for cake decorating classes.  I always loved baking, but totally sucked at decorating.  To be fair, I haven't put much effort in trying to decorate.  I've always used fairly easy methods to decorate my cakes and cupcakes.

The class was a Wilton cake decorating class.  There are 4 courses and 4 sessions per course.  One, two and a half hour class a week. Course 1 is building butter cream skills.  First week we decorated cookies, second week we decorated our first cake, third week we learned how to pipe flowers and decorated cupcakes, the fourth week we decorated tall cakes all on our own from start to finish.  Our last sessions ended last night.  After all is said and done I'd have to say that its a lot harder then it looks.  I watch all those cake decorating shows on TV and they make it look super easy.  I was fooled.  Its no joke.  There are a lot of components that go into making a nicely decorated cake.   I'd have to say tho that I loved it, it was very informational, challenging, and fun.  Its a great beginner class and the tips I learned I'll probably use for the rest of my days.  I liked this class so much that I'm planning on taking all 4 courses.   I'm definitely not opening up my own bakery anytime soon, but you never know. lol

Typhoon Talk

First typhoon of the season hit Okinawa on July 8th.  It definitely came in with a bang!!!   We've been here for a few years now and we've learned that typhoons aren't really that bad.  Its a lot of wind and a lot of rain.  We normally just hang out inside, watch movies, and cook up a bunch of food.   Its pretty standard, don't want to be outside in all the mess.  Plus you would probably get blown away.  We really just have family time and its nice to hang out together.

During typhoon season we like to keep stuff on hand, just in case one hits.   Usually we get a couple days notice before one hits and they can come back to back.   Being prepared at all times is key.  For our "typhoon kit"  we keep water , batteries, flashlights, canned food, and candles.    Plus the grocery store gets nuts before one hits, since most people are stocking up for the typhoon.  When I hear about a typhoon hitting I usually only have to grab a few things at the store, just a hit and run.

Typhoon Neoguri was originally forecast as a category 5 super typhoon. BTW category 5 is the highest category! I usually don't freak out, but when I saw that locals were freaking, I knew I should be worried.  So I bought  extra just in case.  The typhoon was expected to hit late afternoon on Tuesday July 8th.  Winds already started picking up on Monday morning July 7th.  I wanted to take the kids out to play at a park, but Nolan got sick and we had to spend Monday hanging at the hospital.  By the time the kids and I got home, Morgan got home, so we had to prepare.  Morgan was outside tying things down and putting stuff away.  I was inside getting all the typhoon gear out so we wouldn't have to search for it.  I was also doing laundry.  haha During typhoons there is a lot of downtime so folding laundry is a perfect activity.

The typhoon came Tuesday.  Luckily it hit Okinawa as a cat 3 and not a cat 5.  There was lots of wind and rain.  I always get a lil nervous.... the winds were just so crazy.  But the houses and building on Oki are built to withstand typhoons, still nerve wracking tho.  People on Facebook were posting pics , it looked pretty bad out.  We just hunkered down, ate, and watched movies.  We did loose power for a few hours.  That was lame because that means no ac and it was getting humid.  We were lucky to only loose it for a few hours, I've had friends that lost it for a full 12 hours.  In our neck of the woods the typhoon was pretty uneventful.  It did hang out on the coast a lil longer then expected and did bring a down pour of rain, thunder, and lighting.  I believe the estimate rain fall was 34 inches.   There was flooding all around town.  After all is said and done, there was lots of damage all over the island.  Unfortunately I did hear of 2 deaths. For us, we were fortunate to not have any damages from the storm.  Wednesday after we got the all clear , Morgan was out cleaning up all the debris and untying the outdoor stuff.  Once the power came back on {Wed. afternoon} I started clean up inside.

Nolan playing with his Hot Wheels

Amelia watching on her Ipad

Hanging in bed watching Netflix

Made some Turon

Made some spicy kimchee soup

Hopefully that was the worst one of the season.  There is even another typhoon forming, hopefully it doesn't pass us or it dissipates.   Typhoon season is here and we're ready.



Pictures of damages throughout the island//

{Not my photo}
Car flipped over on base

                              

{Not my photo}
Car crushed by fallen tree

{Not my photo}
Restaurant in Naha 

{Not my photo}
Flooding

{Not my photo}
flooding